Any good?
How does it compare with Morzine?
Am I likely to have fun with an Orange 5, body armour, a full face helmet and some mates?
I've been several times. No idea how it compares to Morzine but it is fantastic, there is a downhill course in Arc 1600 which is great, bundles of singletrack and high alp riding from the bowl at arc 2000 (leading down to Borg St Maurice) if you head toward Vallandry/ Peisey Nancroix there is some excellent technical singletrack through the trees, there is shedloads of stuff. I thought the lifts were closed now though.
If you do go have a meal in Peisey Nancroix at the l'ancolie it's unbelievably good.
any good? - yes
more downhill singletrack than Morzine, fewer 'DH' runs.
it's quieter.
it's a bit cheaper.
an Orange 5 sounds about perfect.
you can stay in Bourg st maurice and get the funicular train up to arc 1600 (or is it 1800?) - accomodation is cheaper in Bourg, and you'll have more to do in the evening.
you don't need a guide, just talk to people and or look at an os map and follow the trails.
there will be a few things you'll miss without a guide, but you'll find more than enough on your own for a weeks riding.
it's ace!
it's even got a park type area with northshore stuff, jumps, and an airbag...
Thinking of next year's holiday 🙂
you can stay in Bourg st maurice and get the funicular train up to arc 1600 (or is it 1800?) - accomodation is cheaper in Bourg, and you'll have more to do in the evening.
We found accomm cheaper in 1800 than in Bourg, but that did leave us needing to get from 16 to 18 each night which was a long ride if you missed the coach or didnt want your bike smashing about attached to the back of the coach!
Its AMAZING!
The downhill course is class: with very few braking bumps, the singletrack is class, the tracks further up the mountain are class etc. etc.
Really worth a trip if your into fast, technical and long descents/singletrack. Not so many 'DH tracks' but the one they do have really is very good fun. Its a short season tho and you really do need a guide, we were there 3 days on our trip and planned to just get a guide for the 2nd day, in the end we hired him for the 3rd too as the tracks we had been shown were so good we were left wanting more! Our group had everything from a 30lb remedy to a 48lb DH bike and everyone left with a massive smile. There are plenty out there with hardtails too.
Took my Five there this summer, no probs (but I was more XC than DH 🙂 ).
Loads of trails with great runs from the resorts (1600, 1800, 2000) down to the valley floor. Then get the funicular train back up to 1600.
Much prefered it to Morzine - as above quieter and doesn't turn to a mudbath if it rains.
I'd highly reccomend it, great riding but I reckon you do need a guide to get the best out of it unless your happy following trails on the map and finding/not finding a few dead ends and bad trails on your way to discovery. Trailaddiciton get very good reviews on here from several people including me, ace guiding accomodation etc.
It's a good idea to get a guide, there is enough riding to keep you busy for a week but a guide will be able to show you the hour long single track downhills that leave your arms feeling broken!!
Trail Addiction and Bike Village both guide in that area.
Miles of ace technical singletrack, much quieter than Morzine, bit more XC orientated but still loads of DH runs.
I think we sorted our guide through these guys.
[url= http://www.thecoolbus.co.uk/les_arcs.html ]thecoolbus[/url]
If you are into epic technical singletrack descents then you'll love the place. Much quiter and more relaxed than Morzine/Les Gets area. The one proper DH track is pretty good but the area is generally more about singletrack than full on down hill.
Trail addiction well worth going with if you want to ride all the cheeky stuff. You could easily just buy a map and go out and explore on your own though.
Make sure you ride La Varda, a truely epic technical 40-50 min singletrack descent. Here's a teaser.
went for a week this year with trailaddiction and loved it so much im going for 2 months next year with my bf and a mate but we're doing it our own way this time.
Awesome riding in Les Arcs and in the whole Tarentaise Valley. Compared to Morzine/Portes du Soliel, there's 3 obvious differences:
1. Fewer DH tracks, more epic-scale singletrack
2. Better weather (I think I rode in the rain maybe 3 days this summer?)
3. No mud. Ever. Period. Even if it's p*ssed down for a week (which pretty much never happens, see 2).
We're based just across the valley in Sainte Foy, usually ride Les Arcs 1-2 days per week. Check out [url= http://www.whiteroomchalet.com ]The White Room[/url].
An Orange 5 will be spot-on. I ride an Alpine personally, but Ash from Trail Addiction tells me he's just bought a 5! I'd ditch the body armor unless you're sessioning the DH course / Bike Park. Knee & elbow pads are plenty and you'll just get too hot.
Les Arcs is brilliant. Been twice with TrailAddiction and hoping to go again next year.
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nodrog2 - Member
If you are into epic technical singletrack descents then you'll love the place. Much quiter and more relaxed than Morzine/Les Gets area. The one proper DH track is pretty good but the area is generally more about singletrack than full on down hill.
Trail addiction well worth going with if you want to ride all the cheeky stuff. You could easily just buy a map and go out and explore on your own though.
Make sure you ride La Varda, a truely epic technical 40-50 min singletrack descent. Here's a teaser.
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Are there many complete trails that are smooth like that?
I wanted to go sometime, and the wife wants to go too, but she'd be out of her depth on steep technical stuff but would fly along that sort of smooth twisty trail
Last time (2008) 8 of us rented a chalet in Vallandry (very close to Arc 1800)and all in it was less than 400 for the week including flights and accom.
There is a chair lift up to arc 2000 and the last run of the day back to the chalet was in the woods and is fantastic. Hire cars are pretty cheap from Geneva and I'd suggest that if your not staying in Borg (the main town in the valley below) and want some nightlife a car is pretty much essential.
I've also driven it several times and it's around 8 hours from Calais.
There is something very special about walking out of the back door getting on a bike and then doing a downhill for 40 minutes!!
Are there many complete trails that are smooth like that?
That particular trail leads to some of the gnarliest (and scariest - some of it is exposed to big cliffs!) riding you're ever likely to do!
Like anywhere in the Alps, the Tarentaise is a big, steep-sided valley so trails going straight down are ****ing steep while trails contouring along the valley tend to have a very steep slope to the side. Equally, it's hard to find "easy" riding by UK standards unless you only want to ride fire-roads. With all that said, we ride with plenty of beginners and inexperienced riders and most of them have a great time. We take it easy and do plenty of coaching. Sainte Foy probably has more flowy, contour trails than Les Arcs but a decent guide should be able to find trails to suit any level. We're planning on running some "Alpine first-timers" weeks next year to suit people who want to build things up slowly!
barrykellett - there are plenty of smoother less technical trails to ride. Something for everyone really. Don't be fooled by the smooth appearance in that video clip though. That particular trail does indeed start off nice and smoothish and very flowy but about half way down turns into a pretty steep, tight switch back laiden rock fest 🙂
A group of 11 of us went this year comprising all abilities and both sexes. Everyone loved it and wants to go back. A few of the lads on DH rigs didn't get on with the more technical tight switch back trails though, triple clamps are just no good for them. As has been said above a 5-6 inch trail bike is ideal. A long travel HT would also be fine.
A group of 11 of us went this year comprising all abilities and both sexes. Everyone loved it and wants to go back.
If I can find a job Gordon lol
We'll pay for you Tony. Call it guiding money 🙂
Sounds amazing, I'm getting giddy already!
I went this year with Trail Addiction, and would highly recommend them. I think it was about £450 for the week, but having all your meals sorted is a big plus. The guiding was great, they run lots of different groups so can match trails to your skill level.
The trails were generally harder than anything I'd ridden UK based, YMMV. As stated, it's the steepness that can do your head in, but you do acclimatise fairly quickly. I learnt more about riding in a week than I've done in 5 years in the UK....
I've got an Orange 5, whether it's enough bike is dependant on your skill level really, but people were riding on £300 HT's so the 5 won't be the limiting factor.
Trying to work out if I can do 2 weeks next year 🙂
Mleh closed that valley down Steve.
RichPenny - If you've got 2 weeks spare surely you should be off to Whistler? I can only dream of such freedom!
Mleh closed that valley down Steve.
Wish they had, I made a complete ar$e of riding it last week! 👿
"Are there many complete trails that are smooth like that?"
How about this one, also taken on a trailAddiction holiday this summer:
http://picasaweb.google.com/trailaddiction.ltd/Summer2009BestPics#5372935392992677202
This trail continues for about 30Km on virtually unbroken, donwhill singletrack....takes pretty much all afternoon to get down it!
(Although this trail is not actually IN les arcs per se, as in not on the Les Arcs lift system. Like they say, the secret ones are often the best eh!)
Trailaddiction run "beginners weeks" and have the benefit of 5 guides and 5 different guide groups. Leslie, the female guide normally has a group of girls / beginners out with her for most weeks of the summer.
That said, on the whole, the riding in Les Arcs is an advanced level....but a good guide should be able to string together enough easy stuff for most standards.
I can't drive to Canada! Or really afford it....
Nice videos there 🙂
Any novice (1-2ft, maybe 3 on a good day, high) jumps there on the dh course for example?
IMHO,a fantastic area to holiday/ride in.Stayed at 'The Goat Shed' twice('06 & 07),with trailAddiction.
Seriously thinking of going again in 2010.
PS:The scenery isn't up to much,though.... 😉
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Everything on the DH course is rollable, get as much air as you want. The North Shore section, which is off to the side of the main course, has a bit of everything so a few 1-2ft jumps there, seesaws etc. Basically, you should go 🙂
Blimey, sounds like nirvana. Anyone got anything bad to say about it?
Having spent a week in the tarentaise valley on my Orange 5 (stayed with the White Room)a week or so ago i can tell you it was perfect for what we rode.
It never felt out of it's depth but as said above the area is more epic singletrack than DH.
Stevo - You better be ready for our return next year, i want some more "wee bit faffy" trails please!!. Looks like we'll be bringing friends too judging by the response our holiday got when i relayed it back to my bikeshop owning mate! Hope your getting a well earned break now.
>I wanted to go sometime, and the wife wants to go too, but she'd be out of her depth on steep technical stuff but would fly along that sort of smooth twisty trail
If you took the missus down La Varda then you'd be in the doghouse for about a month 🙂
My wife loved the riding we did and she isn't quite so keen on technical stuff as i am.
She walked a few sections but also did stuff that surpised her....that weeks riding has had a huge impact on our perception of whats technical back home!
Our guide was great and talked us through the really technical bits first, giving advice etc. I consider myself fairly capable on a bike but the riding there really opened my eyes!
I heart the tarentaise.
Bad points - bike hire isn't up to much. Everything else is amazing, I'll definitely be heading back next year.
Kramer - I find it helps if you don't break your bike a week before a bike holiday 😀
So you won't be hiring a Mondraker (or should i say Moonraker) or Kona?!
imnotamused: I've never been to whistler but Ive talked for hours about it to people who HAVE been there. It does sound AMAZING but Im still not convinced if it really IS all that much better than some of the spots in europe. Quite clearly, they invest a lot more time and effort in decent trailbuilding over there (The man made stuff in Les Arcs is OK, but there still isnt a huge amount of it)
But the 100s of Km of unmarked singletrack more than makes up for it. The likes of which Im am utterly convinced simply dont exist in north america....people haven't lived and walked in those hills for long enough for that amount of singletrack to have been created in the first place.
Anyway, with regard to your question about jumps, there are plently of natural features like these.....having a good local guide really helps in finding them!
[img] http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ULDKh6UDwexzk4zBKPlECw?feat=directlink [/img]
try again with the link!
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Highly recommend trail addiction here too, ask for la varda and you will not dissapointed by how technical it is!
Nickegg, fortunately Frankenbike is now up and running again.
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View from the top of the chairlift at Arc 2600 this summer.
Stayed in Ste Foy Tarentaise up the valley from Bourg. Lovely singletrack along the river down to Bourg, then 'worm' and chairlifts to the top. Thoroughly recommended.
We've done a couple of holidays with TA and generally been very happy indeed. Their trail knowledge is superb - you *could* get by without a guide, but you'd waste a lot of time figuring stuff out for yourself. Add in full board and lodging and it's actually a relatively cost efficient way to guarantee a really good holiday.
I actually preferred Les Arcs to Whistler. Less stunts and airtime, sure, but there's not the whole forced "americanness" feeling, and a lot of the trails over on the northern face of the hills really reminded me of The Shore and Squamish, especially in the wet. The network of lifts also means that an awful lot more terrain is open to you without needing 4x4 uplifts which just eat into riding time.
TA do run multiple groups every day to cater for different skill levels and riding styles - all gravitationally inclined though! Trails like Lavarda, beautiful though the scenery is aren't for everybody. One rider in our group this year had a bit of a hissy fit because they simply couldn't cope with the sustained technicality of it.
Any bike with big forks (but not triples) big brakes and big tyres will be perfect. Ash one of the TA directors has just got a 5, which says it all really...
yup, with Trailaddiction, it's great.
[img] http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3281/2670506143_52cacf61f2_o.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3281/2670506143_52cacf61f2_o.jp g"/> [/img]
La Varda
So anyone been to Verbier? and if so which would you choose for a weeks holiday, TA or BikeVerbier?
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Whoops - La Varda
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A few more vids of trails in the area to download in a slightly higher res [url= http://mtbuk.co.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3251 ]here[/url].
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(pic by cynic-al)
Verbier better than Les Arcs IMO - If you like proper steeps and nasty stuff.
Cool, need to brush up on my skills over the winter and get it booked then.
My opinion is that its really difficult to seperate Les Arcs, and Verbier (especially if you go with either of those top companies you mention). I found Verbier was nearly all extremely steep, techy and very hard on the brakes, which I happen to like a lot (but did wonder if it would be fun for anyone other than the very experienced alpine rider). Les Arcs on the other hand was "a lot" of steep and techy - right up to as hard and exposed as you could possibly ever imagine, but also had quite a few "medium" intensity trails too.
Other primary difference is that the lift access in les arcs is probably better. I.e. Bikeverbier = on average 20 min pedal to get to the top of the big descents, trailAddiction = 0 to 5 mins on avg (but they were still "secret" trails!).
The nightlife is better in Verbier town (if you like mad party nights) although Im not sure if bikeverbier are actually in verbier centre thesedays?
Tough call! Perhaps you should start a poll?!
The nightlife is better in Verbier town (if you like mad party nights)
Having been to Les Arcs twice with trailAddiction,I found that after a days riding,the last thing I wanted to do was go out partying,(too knackered!!).
Good job really,as Peisey Nancroix,where tA are based,is quieter than a quiet thing when its fast asleep.....
La Varda is a real head f*ck of a trail. The concentration required to get down it is pretty intense.
When we were in Bourg it was bouncing all week due to the French National Kayak Champs and the tour rolling through. As has been mentioned before, stop in Bourg and you've got uplifts well into the evening via the funicular and free busses. We did the high up and off the back stuff in the morning and afternoon then had a break around 4-5 ish before hitting up the trails under 1600, 1800 and in the Malgovert for a few hours as the sun set.
Peisey Nancroix is home to L'ancolie restaurant which is the nuts.
All this talking of Les Arcs in making me hungry for Tartiflette. Luckily I have some Reblochon in the fridge.....